FLIGHT, JULY 20, 1933
THE COMMON ROOM : All
officers at Andover mess together.
but the Staff College has its own
common room. (FLIGHT Photo.)
While it is not necessary for
young officers to be instructed in
the higher art of war, it is still
necessary that they should think
on correct lines. For the higher
ranks it is of the utmost import
ance that they should be able to
think correctly and believe in a
common doctrine. And the func
tion of the Staff College is to
teach this common doctrine of
war.
The objects of the course at
the Staff College are (a) to teach
the pupils to teach themselves ;
ifc i to impress on them the im
portance of staff duties ; (c) to
teach co-operation with the other
two Services—not what is com
monly meant by the work of
Army co-operation squadrons,
but the ways in which the Air
Force as a whole can work with
the Army and the Navy ; (d) to
inculcate the importance of
finance in the Service ; and (e) to give instruction in the
higher direction of war.
It will be generally admitted that this is an impressive
list of objects. How many of us would be better men in
the world if at some time while still young, but mature,
we had been trained to teach ourselves! At Cranwell
efiorts are made to lead the cadets along the path of
self-instruction, and doubtless in many cases the results of
those efforts are seen in the pupils at the Staff College.
It can also be said that the best Honours Schools at the
Universities, such as " Greats " (Litterae Httmaniores)
and the School of Modern History at Oxford, are calcu
lated to teach men to help themselves towards knowledge
and wisdom—and it must be remembered that Oxford and
Cambridge send men into the commissioned ranks of the
R.A.F. and presumably sometimes to Andover. Andover
stands for higher education in Service matters, and no
higher education can make much progress unless the pupils
can, and will, teach themselves. Staff duties call for an
analytical mind and a very " tidy " mind. It has been
said that Fortune favours good organisation, and in war
good organisation implies good staff officers. In the Army
here have been critics who, rightly or wrongly, say that
staff training produces a rather aloof type of mind, fonder
°i theories than of realities, and inclined to "red tape."
Certainly, in the first year of the war, staff work was not
always good, and it was sometimes believed that French
staff officers were better than ours ; but, however that may Dl
v it is certain that a fighting force will achieve victory
V I a smaller casualty list if the staff work is good than
i that work is indifferent. It would still be too soon to
judge the quality of the Andover training by its results,
"t it inspires confidence to see the course laid down on
OTnrnon-sense lines. The importance of finance in the
e is a subject which rather surprises. The fighting
_ vices on the whole have the reputation of a tendency
ahv S ®xtravagance, holding to the theory that it is
ver^t aPer to win a war than to lose one—which is
tlle
y e- . In the present days, when the Treasury turns
brici-treV^lght' the Service which is most skilful at making
most Jfi • the minimum of straw is likely to remain the
The v£nt m its PreParation for war.
iect w> k 6r dlrecti°n of war is the most imposing sub-
does not •* -^E ColleSe has„t° teach. _ The College
the graduates of the College that the Service
'iff-, for its future leaders. The higher direc-
it i' t !PSt on]y to turn out efficient staff officers, but
natural , , ^aduate t
nor,of I kf for its future leaders. e .
the- force T °k f°r abihty to Plan sound strategy whether
or on thp employed moves in the air, on the ground,
ing m I water. In small ways the Air Officer Command-
tions bv th1S TSUally asked to approve the plans for opera-
find himself • q Army- Some daY an Air Officer may mor
f than m commarid °f a combined body drawn from
one Service, and his plan of campaign must be
based on true principles of strategy, combined with know
ledge of the capabilities of both or all Services.
A point which has been much debated of late is the
possible bombing of civilians by aircraft. Mr. Churchill,
in a masterly speech recently, showed that such a practice
would be waste of effort, and at the St. George's Day
banquet Sir Robert Brooke-Popham, a late Con mandant
of the Air Staff College, and also of the Imperial Defence
College, also poured ridicule on the idea that the Royal
Air Force exists to slaughter women and children. The
doctrine taught at Andover is the pure doctrine of the
military objective. It is just possible that a Government,
blind and deaf to all dictates of humanity and decency,
may order a direct attack on civilians by aircraft. Such a
policy does not come within the purview of the fighting
services.
Each course starts at the beginning of a calendar year.
The permanent staff consists of the Commandant and a
directing staff of six. In each course there are 20 officer
students of the General Duties branch of the R.A.F. and
two of the Stores Branch, two officers from the Navy, one
from the Home Army, one from the Indian Army, two
from the Royal Australian Air Force, and two from the
Royal Canadian Air Force. At the same time, R.A.F.
officers are attending the Naval and Army Staff Colleges,
and so a body of officers is being built up with intimate
knowledge of the workings of Services other than their
own. This excellent work is carried still further at the
Imperial Defence College. Officers who have graduated at
an Army Staff College have the initials p.s.c. after their
names, and those who have passed through Andover have
p.s.a. The three terms are very busy times, for there is
much ground to be covered in a year. There are not too
many lectures, but the students have many exercises and
essays to compile. During the winter term debates are
held in the library, largely to encourage the students to
express themselves fluently in words, as they are also
taught to express themselves on paper. During the
summer term combined exercises with Greenwich and Cam-
berley Staff Colleges are carried out. These exercises in
volve visits between the three Colleges and work both
indoors and out of doors. Some of the Andover students
go on attachment during the vacations to Army units and
on board ships of the Royal Navy. During the summer
vacation the Andover students are encouraged to travel
abroad and study foreign countries. In normal times part
of their expenses is allowed by the State, but during the
present financial stringency this practice is in abeyance.
Each course is divided up into groups, each group of some
three officers taking up the study of one or two foreign
countries. Obviously there is plenty to occupy the time
of the students.
At Andover there is one common mess for all the officers.
The Staff College men, however, have their own common
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